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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28600395">I do bad things (for the sake of good times)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretflame/pseuds/secretflame'>secretflame</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Victorious (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Smut, and some plot, it's literally smut</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:42:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,812</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28600395</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretflame/pseuds/secretflame</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Industry events were all the same.<br/>At least, they usually were.<br/>But all the rules tend to go out the window when your ex shows up to the party.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tori Vega/Jade West</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>180</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I do bad things (for the sake of good times)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Industry events were all the same. Starlets and producers and assholes who thought that they were important (but most certainly were <em>not</em>) spending their evening blowing smoke up each other's asses just because they felt that they had to, accented with shitty hors d'oeuvres and cheap champagne that made her head ache.</p><p>She <em>hated</em> that she had to attend a single one of the things. But her agent, Jessica, had told her that, in no uncertain terms, she was expected to show up to the Oscars and that "she better do it with a smile, or so help me <em>god</em> you will be dumped as a client". So she had slipped into the most glamorous gown in her closet and turned up to the ceremony with a smile on her face because what the fuck <em>else</em> was she supposed to do?</p><p>(She didn't a bring a date, though, which she <em>knew</em> would drive Jessica crazy)</p><p>But the ceremony had ended over an hour ago, and she hadn't won anything even though she had been nominated in three categories, and her face fucking ached from having that fake smile plastered on it the entire time. Jessica had insisted she attend the afterparty- more like threatened, really- and so she showed up with the knowledge that she was going to end up passed out in a taxi later.</p><p>(She almost wished that the paparazzi would get a picture of that, if only to make Jessica's head explode)</p><p>She was on her third glass of champagne and her fifth conversation about how utterly disappointing it must be to have <em>lost</em> when she felt a hand on her shoulder.</p><p>"I didn't expect to see you here."</p><p>She flashed her trademark smile towards the has-beens that she had been talking to before turning to face the source of the voice, knowing full well who was standing behind her. "The same could be said to you, Vega. I didn't think that Oscar winners ever bothered showing their faces at these things."</p><p>"What, after-parties?" Tori snagged a champagne flute off of a passing tray. "I don't think that's very uncommon."</p><p>"This is the losers' party, Vega. You don't exactly belong here."</p><p>Tori's eyebrow arched up and she took a quick look around the room before her eyes returned to Jade's gaze. "Guess I was given the wrong address, then."</p><p>Jade stared at her for a long moment and tried to figure out just what the <em>fuck</em> was going on. "Why didn't you expect to see me here?"</p><p>"Pardon?"</p><p>"You said that you didn't expect to see me here."</p><p>"Oh, right." Tori took a sip of her champagne, and Jade took the pause as an opportunity to actually <em>look</em> at her for the first time that night. Tori wasn't wearing the ballgown that Jade had always expected her to be wearing when she would inevitably end up at an awards show. Instead, the other woman was wearing a tailored pink suit that just <em>barely</em> covered her chest. A stark white bra stood out against her tanned skin, and Jade couldn't help but wonder what stylist had signed off on such a risqué look, because hers certainly wouldn't have. A clearing of Tori's throat brought her attention back to her face, where she was met with a knowing smirk. "It's cute, right?"</p><p>Jade felt her cheeks start to burn, but Tori was moving on before she could even think of a reply.</p><p>"I don't know. I just didn't think you'd show up to any sort of after-party. Isn't really your scene, is it?"</p><p>"I..." Jade took another sip of her champagne and forced herself to look away from Tori's piercing gaze. "I like parties!"</p><p>(God that sounded lame even before she said it)</p><p>Tori took a slow sip from her glass, smirking all the while. "Jade, I know for a <em>fact</em> that this is the first event you've shown up to in the past eight months."</p><p>"Oh? Have you been keeping track or something?"</p><p>The smirk faded. "Or something."</p><p>It took a moment for Tori's words to register, but when they did, Jade couldn't help but turn back towards her even though she knew her cheeks were bright red. "Oh."</p><p>If Tori noticed the embarrassment in Jade's expression, she didn't show it. "It's been lonely at all these things, you know. All the gross old men tend to hit on me more when you're not around."</p><p>"You make it sound like that's my problem, but if I recall correctly, I wasn't the one who decided to end things, Vega."</p><p>She saw Tori's fingers tighten around the stem of her glass, but the other woman's expression didn't waver; unsurprising, really, considering how well-honed her acting had become in the years since leaving Hollywood Arts. "No? Because I wasn't the one who decided to-"</p><p>A waiter that had been idling in Jade's periphery chose that moment to swoop in with his shrimp-puff-laden tray. "Ladies, can I offer you some-"</p><p>"No!" Jade snapped, and the waiter scurried off just as quickly as he had appeared.</p><p>Tori rolled her eyes. "You could have been a little nicer, don't you think?"</p><p>"Fuck off, okay? You don't get to tell me how to act when you-"</p><p>"When I what?" Her voice was low and pleasant enough but Jade heard the hint of a threat; that hint that she had heard when Tori had stormed out of their apartment, suitcase in hand. "When I left?"</p><p>She refused to fall for the bait.</p><p>"When you decided I wasn't worth it anymore," Jade said simply, keeping her tone light.</p><p>She saw Tori's jaw set, a single muscle twitch that betrayed the anger Jade had long-since become accustomed to. "That's not fair."</p><p>"Maybe not, but it's the truth," Jade replied. She turned to set her now-empty champagne flute onto the tray of a passing waiter. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to be...well, literally anywhere but here."</p><p>Tori's unoccupied hand began to reach for her wrist, but Jade dropped her arm to her side before Tori could touch her. "Jade, wait-"</p><p>"Congrats on your win, Vega. You certainly deserved it."</p><p>She knew Tori called after her; she could hear her voice ringing in her ears as she zig-zagged purposefully through the throngs of washed-up industry professionals. But she refused to stop and turn back because she knew that if she did, one of three possible things would happen:</p><ol>
<li> She'd end up calling Tori a bitch and getting into a screaming match in the middle of a fucking Oscars after-party</li>
<li> She'd start crying in the middle of a fucking Oscars after-party</li>
<li> She'd beg for Tori to take her back in the middle of a fucking Oscars after-party</li>
</ol><p>None of those options were particularly tempting. But neither was just milling about and trying to avoid her.</p><p>She needed to leave. But it was too soon, too early, and she knew Jessica would probably kill her if she even tried.</p><p>But Jessica didn't say that she had to actually socialize at the fucking thing, so when Jade spotted another waiter to her left, she reached out and tapped his shoulder.</p><p>"Ms. West, how can I-"</p><p>"Where's the restroom in this place?" she asked, cutting him off before he could start with his round of pleasantries that she <em>certainly</em> wasn't interested in hearing.</p><p>He pointed, careful not to jostle the tray in his hand. "Down that hallway, first door on the left. It's outfitted with state-of-the-art -"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, thanks." She reached out and grabbed a mostly-full bottle of champagne off his tray before beginning to walk away.</p><p>"Uhm...Ms. West?" she heard him say, the tiniest hint of fear in his voice. "I'm not sure that you can just.."</p><p>She turned her head and shot him a withering look. He shrunk back. "My apologies. Have a good night, Ms. West."</p><p>The barest hint of a smirk tugged at her lips as she watched him cower. "You too, Jeeves."</p><p>Before he had the chance to say anything else, she turned and began to make her way towards the restroom.</p><hr/><p>For being such a high-profile event, she really thought that there would be more actresses snorting coke in the restroom. But when Jade pushed through the door, all she saw was an older woman washing her hands in a sink that looked like it cost more than her car.</p><p>The woman glanced up at her in the mirror and gave her a small nod before she turned off the spigot. "Rough night?"</p><p>Jade's eyebrow quirked up in confusion before she remembered the bottle of champagne that she had clutched in her hand. "Oh, you know..." she shrugged and laughed noncommittally. "Show business."</p><p>The woman laughed and shook her head. "Don't have to tell me about it, honey." She turned and reached for the towels hanging to her left. "Show business is a bitch, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."</p><p>Jade returned her laugh, the first genuine laugh she could remember having in what felt like eternity. "Oh, trust me. I know."</p><p>The woman finished drying her hands and quickly glanced in the mirror again before turning fully towards the door. Jade realized that she was vaguely familiar, though she couldn't quite place her face. "I really thought that you should have won tonight," the woman said. "Voted for you, even. <em>Fire Escape</em> was a masterpiece and I'm sorry that the Academy let you down."</p><p>Jade's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh! I..." She faltered, at a loss for words. "Thank you."</p><p>The woman smiled. "Have a good rest of your evening, Ms. West. And I can't wait to see what you do next."</p><p>She moved past Jade to exit the restroom, throwing her a knowing wink as she did. And then Jade was alone with only her confusion, the bottle in her hand, and the glare of fluorescent lighting bouncing off of gleaming tile.</p><p>She walked towards the sink, setting the bottle down on the marble before looking at her reflection in the mirror.</p><p>"Well, at least <em>someone</em> liked my movie," she said to her reflection, accenting her statement with a bitter laugh and a shake of her head. "At least there's that, right?"</p><p>Her reflection just stared back at her, wild-eyed and desperate.</p><p>"Fuck," she whispered, and her reflection seemed to agree.</p><p>She stared at herself for a moment longer before she shook her head one last time and looked away, her hand reaching for the neck of the bottle of champagne. Sobriety was quickly becoming the thing that she least desired, and so she brought the bottle to her lips and tipped it back. A long, slow sip, then another just because she could. The light carbonation tickled her tongue and her throat and it made her think about the champagne that they had served at-</p><p>"You're going to ruin your lipstick doing that."</p><p>Jade almost choked on the champagne, just barely keeping herself from going into a coughing fit as she lowered the bottle back down to the sink. She didn't bother to turn around; didn't bother to glance up in the mirror to see the judgmental expression she knew was being aimed in her direction. "Making it your mission to sneak up on people now, Vega?"</p><p>"I'd hardly call walking into a public restroom "sneaking up on,"" Tori replied. "Not my fault you were too busy getting sloshed to hear me open the door."</p><p>"Oh, fuck you."</p><p>A heavy sigh that Jade was all too used to. "You know, you would have thought that you would have come up with some better comebacks as you grew up...oh <em>wait</em>." Tori paused, and Jade gripped the edge of the sink tightly. "You <em>haven't</em> grown up. That's right. Sorry, I always forget that."</p><p>Jade grit her teeth and tried to ignore the roaring in her ears; the heat rising to the surface of her skin in that old familiar way that all too often had gotten her into trouble. "You're not going to bait me into a shouting match in a fucking restroom. So if that's all you want, you might as well fuck off back to the party. Or, better yet, go to the party that you were <em>actually </em>invited to. You know, the one for winners? You've put in enough time with the losers."</p><p>"I didn't..." A huff, and Jade could practically picture the frustration on Tori's face. "That's not what...for fuck's sake, Jade, can you turn around so I can talk to you and not your back?"</p><p>Jade cocked a brow and loosened her grip on the marble. "You seem to really like turning <em>your</em> back on people, so I just thought you'd prefer it this way."</p><p>A hand gripped her shoulder and she saw red.</p><p>(<em>How dare she-)</em></p><p>"You have two seconds before you forfeit that hand," Jade hissed through gritted teeth. She heard Tori scoff, but the hand dropped away from her shoulder anyway.</p><p>"Threatening me, now? How mature of you."</p><p>Jade whirled around, the skirt of her dress moving with her. "What the fuck do you want from me, Vega?"</p><p>"For you to fucking <em>talk</em> to me!"</p><p>"Fine! You want to talk? Okay. Let's talk." Jade gestured towards her, her hand waving down the length of her torso. "Let's start with what the hell you're wearing. Who the hell let you go on stage with your tits out like that?"</p><p>"We are <em>not</em> talking about my fucking suit, why the fuck would we-" Tori took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Jade knew she was counting to ten inside her head, just like she always did when they fought, and it just made her angrier.</p><p>"Then what the fuck do you <em>want</em> to talk about, Tori, because I was pretty sure you did all your talking right before you walked out of my life! So excuse me if I'm not bending over backwards at the chance to <em>talk</em>." Jade shook her head in disgust and reached for the bottle of champagne. "You had no right to follow me in here, or to even <em>be here, </em>and-"</p><p>She had started to raise the bottle back to her lips when Tori's hand curled around her own, preventing her from lifting it higher. The rest of her sentence died on the tip of her tongue as rage roared through her veins. "And you <em>certainly </em>don't have the right to <em>touch me</em>," she snarled.</p><p>"Fuck you," Tori said, her eyes wild. "Just <em>fuck you</em>."</p><p>"Not anymore," Jade hissed, and as she watched, something in Tori's gaze shifted. The anger that had been burning there was joined by a hunger that Jade was all too familiar with; a hunger that she could feel mirrored deep in the pit of her stomach.</p><p>And then Tori was surging forward and Jade was shoved backwards against the sink, the marble edge biting sharply into the small of her back. But she didn't fucking care about that, didn't care about the way that the bottle of champagne fell from their grasp and shattered onto the floor, because Tori was kissing her.</p><p>Jesus Christ, Tori was kissing her.</p><p>And she was kissing her back.</p><p>The rational side of her screamed at her to stop; screamed at her to push Tori away and <em>run</em> but then Tori's teeth were tugging at her bottom lip and she tasted copper against her tongue and she decided that the chance to be rational had long since passed.</p><p>"That was an expensive bottle," she managed to say, and she saw Tori roll her eyes before she pressed Jade harder against the sink.</p><p>"Shut the fuck up," she whispered into Jade's ear, and Jade felt a shiver course down her spine at the huskiness of her voice. Teeth tugged at her earlobe for just a moment before Tori's head moved lower, her lips burning against the underside of Jade's jaw.</p><p>Jade let her head fall back, her breath hitching in her throat as Tori sucked roughly at her pulse. "Fuck."</p><p>Tori nipped her skin sharply, causing Jade to hiss. "I thought I told you to shut up."</p><p>"Make me."</p><p>She was pretty sure that that wasn't what she meant to say, but the words left her lips before she could call them back and so she took a shaky breath and waited for Tori's reaction.</p><p>Tori pulled her head away from her neck so she could shoot her a look. Jade met her gaze, biting the inside of her lip in order to not tremble at the fire in Tori's eyes.</p><p>"Is that a challenge?" Tori asked, and before Jade had the chance to answer, she felt Tori's hand reaching around her back, fingers expertly finding the zipper and pulling it down. Another moment, and the bodice of her gown was falling around her chest. She started to reach for it, started to pull the fabric back across her breasts because <em>for fuck's sake</em> they were in a public restroom, but then Tori was pushing her back again and there was a hand cupping her left breast while lips pressed against the slope of her right and god, she was so fucked.</p><p>"Vega, we-" She bit her lip, swallowing back the moan in her throat when Tori's tongue swirled around her painfully erect nipple. "Tori, this...<em>fuck</em>."</p><p>She felt Tori hum against her and she knew that if she looked down, she'd see a smirk on her face. "What was that crack you made earlier about my tits being out?" She emphasized her point with a tweak of her fingers and a gentle suck that made Jade's eyes slam shut.</p><p>"Asshole," Jade gasped, and Tori hummed in acknowledgment.</p><p>"Maybe." Her tongue circled once more before she pulled away so that she could kiss Jade again. Jade's hands left the marble so she could plunge them into Tori's hair, fingers tugging roughly at the roots. Tori gasped into her mouth and she felt the hand on her breast fall away completely. She almost whimpered at the loss of contact, but then there was a hand on her ass and a hand on her waist and she was being half-pushed and half-lifted onto the sink.</p><p>"Woah, hey, what-" Jade began, but Tori shot her a withering look.</p><p>"I would have thought that after seven years, you would have learned when it's in your best interest to just <em>shut up</em>," she said, and Jade felt her chest tighten.</p><p>
  <em>Seven years.</em>
</p><p>"Tori, we...this isn't..." She swallowed and tried to ignore the way the aching in her core blazed when Tori's hand began to push the hem of her gown up. "For fuck's sake, Tori, you..."</p><p>
  <em>You left, you left, you left</em>
</p><p>"I locked the door," Tori said, and Jade looked at her, confused.</p><p>"You locked..." Jade's words trailed off as the implications of Tori's words hit her. "Oh."</p><p>
  <em>She planned this, she planned this, why did she-</em>
</p><p>The questions in Jade's mind faltered when she realized Tori had started to lean forward. It took another half-second for her to realize that there were fingers hooked around the band of the underwear she had on,</p><p>(<em>What a day to choose the black lace ones, huh</em>)</p><p>quickly dragging them down, leaving her exposed to the woman giving her an absolutely filthy smirk as she settled between Jade's legs.</p><p>"I know you're a screamer, but we <em>are</em> still at a party, so maybe keep it down," Tori warned before she ducked her head underneath the skirt of Jade's gown.</p><p>"Christ, you're so fucking wet," she heard Tori say a moment later, and her cheeks burned red. She considered pushing her away. She really did. But then there were lips pressed against the inside of her thigh and hands pushing her legs apart just a little wider and then a tongue was pressed flat against her and she gave up pretending.</p><p>"Oh my god," she whispered, mostly to herself, but she knew Tori heard her because the hand on her knee gripped a little tighter as her tongue darted out against Jade's clit. Jade gasped at the sensation, her hips bucking forward in an effort to get Tori to do it again, but Tori had already moved on, licking broad strokes through slick heat. There were no exploratory motions that Jade could tell; no hesitant licks or sucks that would indicate that Tori was testing the waters for what would get the biggest reaction from her. There was no need for it. Every stroke of her tongue was expertly made, from the tight little circles that she made around her clit to the darting of the tip of her tongue inside of her that pulled a strangled whimper from Jade's throat. She could feel Tori laugh against her at that, the vibration from her doing so only providing her with even more pleasure before Tori's lips closed around her clit.</p><p>(<em>This is a mistake, this is a mistake, this is a</em>)</p><p>The hand on her knee left as Tori began to suck her clit, and the curse that formed on her lips turned into a gasp as she felt two fingers push inside of her. The gentle sucking contrasted with the rough thrusts and curls of Tori's fingers and it was all quickly becoming too much, way too much.</p><p>Jade's hands splayed against the marble countertop, trying desperately to grip onto something, <em>anything</em>, as Tori's tongue began to dart more quickly against her and the heat that had been coiled deep within her began to burn brighter and-</p><p>And she felt a hand come to rest on her thigh in order to push her legs even further apart, and the feeling of warm fingers against her skin was accompanied by the faint sensation of cool metal and she glanced down despite her mind screaming at her not to.</p><p>She was met with the sight of an emerald surrounded by diamonds set in white gold. And directly underneath it, the silver band that matched the one burning against her own ring finger.</p><p>"Oh," she whispered. Then, Tori's fingers curled deeper inside of her and her lips closed around her clit again and Jade's mind went blank as she went tumbling over the edge, another broken <em>"oh, fuck"</em> falling from her lips as her head fell back. Her muscles stiffened while white-hot pleasure coursed through her veins and if it wasn't for the fact that Tori was still holding her, she would have feared falling off the sink. She felt Tori's grip on her thigh tighten as she slowed her pace, licking lazy strokes through Jade as aftershocks continued to rock her.</p><p>
  <em>She's wearing my ring, she's wearing my ring, she's-</em>
</p><p>Tori waited until Jade's legs stopped trembling before she pulled her head out from beneath her gown, shooting Jade a filthy grin as she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. She moved back and let Jade slide off of the sink, laughing when Jade's fingers gripped the countertop in an attempt to steady herself. Jade just stared at her, her eyes darting down to the rings glinting in the harsh fluorescent lighting.</p><p>"That was-"</p><p>"You're wearing your rings."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>Jade let go of the sink and stepped forward, being careful not to step in the glass on the floor. Tori stepped back, a hint of nervousness on her face for the first time that night. "Your rings. You're wearing your rings."</p><p>"Oh." Tori glanced down at her hand before moving it just out of sight behind her. She nodded towards the hand that Jade had clutched tight against her chest in an attempt to hold her bodice up. "Well...so are you."</p><p>Jade fought the urge to glance down, instead keeping her gaze steady on Tori, who was looking increasingly uncomfortable. "I never took mine off."</p><p>"Oh."</p><p>Jade knew that she should say something else; should demand answers, or even ask a fucking <em>question</em>, but as Tori's eyes met hers, all she could think about was how the jeweler had warned her that emeralds had the tendency to shatter if care wasn't taken.</p><p>"Fuck," she breathed, and then she was moving forward, pushing Tori back towards the wall so that she could kiss her again. Tori gasped into her mouth as her shoulder blades slammed into the plaster, but then her lips moved against Jade's in a way that was almost desperate.</p><p>Jade let go of her own dress, no longer caring if it was held up or not. She slipped a hand underneath Tori's suit, cupping her breast overtop of the bra that, now that she was able to really <em>feel</em> it, was much thinner than she would have expected. She made a mental note to send Tori's stylist a fruit basket as her thumb brushed over Tori's nipple. Tori gasped again, her hands leaving her sides to bury themselves in Jade's hair as Jade's lips dropped down to press against the underside of Tori's jaw, sucking roughly against her pulse as her fingers gently kneaded her breast through the fabric.</p><p>She was all too aware of the ring on her hand as she did so, its presence suddenly much heavier than before.</p><p>"Stop <em>teasing</em>," Tori groaned, and Jade didn't bother to lift her head to chastise her. Instead, she bit down, relishing in the moan that it pulled from Tori's throat. She considered making Tori beg; considered bringing her quivering to her knees before she finally relinquished, but then Tori was pulling her lips back up to hers and she tasted herself on her tongue and she decided that she had waited long enough.</p><p>"You like it when I tease you," Jade murmured against Tori's lips. The hand that wasn't currently occupied with Tori's breast dropped down to the waistband of her pants. She made quick work of the button and zipper, not bothering to pull the pants down before she slipped her hand beneath them. From the feel of it, Tori had gone with lace underwear as well, but Jade didn't bother to glance down to check. She didn't need to, not when she could instead watch Tori's face as she cupped her through the underwear.</p><p>"There's a difference between teasing and-" Tori's breath hitched in her throat as Jade's fingers slipped beneath the lace. "<em>Oh</em>."</p><p>"You were saying?" Jade murmured, and Tori shot her a dirty look before her eyes screwed shut at the feeling of Jade stroking through her.</p><p>"Can't you ever just shut up?" Tori asked, and if it wasn't for the almost-pleading tone of her voice, Jade would have laughed. Instead, she just smirked and pressed her lips to Tori's neck again as her fingers found her entrance. She dipped her fingertip in teasingly, listening to the change in Tori's breathing before pushing her finger in completely.</p><p>"<em>Fuck</em>," Tori gasped, and Jade felt her hands drop to her back, nails biting into her exposed skin. She allowed Tori to get used to the feeling for a few moments before she added a second finger, increasing her pace as Tori's grip grew tighter. She rolled her shoulders in time with her thrusts, relishing in the familiar sting of scratches on her shoulder blades. In the back of her mind she wondered if Tori drew blood.</p><p>She hoped she had.</p><p>"Harder," Tori commanded breathlessly and Jade's brow quirked up.</p><p>"I don't think you're in the position to be <em>demanding</em>, Vega," she said, grazing her teeth against the sensitive skin beneath Tori's ear. Tori shivered and pulled Jade closer, her right leg lifting just enough to hook her ankle behind Jade's calf.</p><p>"Jade, <em>please</em>-"</p><p>"Why are you wearing your rings?" Jade asked, the question slipping from her lips without much thought.</p><p>"<em>What</em>?"</p><p>Jade lifted her head just enough for her to be able to see Tori's face and the incredulous expression that she was making. She curled her fingers in a way that she knew would make Tori gasp, or, at the very least, would cause her to stop looking at her like that; like what she had asked was <em>dangerous.</em></p><p>"Why are you <em>here, </em>Tori?" Jade slowed her pace, accenting each shallow thrust with a lazy brush of her thumb over her clit. Her wrist was beginning to ache. "Why here? Why now?"</p><p>Tori glared at her, but then a slightly deeper thrust had her biting her lip and fighting to keep her eyes open. "Is this really the time to-"</p><p>Jade slipped her fingers out almost completely and tried to ignore the smug satisfaction she felt when a strangled whimper escaped Tori's lips. "<em>Why</em>, Tori?"</p><p>"Because I miss you, dammit!" Tori looked down, her hair falling into her face as she did. Jade felt her chest heave beneath her palm as she took in a ragged breath. "Christ, are you happy now?"</p><p>Jade took in the sight of her, of the defeated sag of her shoulders and her slightly-damp hair that had become tangled with exertion and Jade's touch, and wished that she could be the ice queen again. She had been so good at this, once.</p><p>"No," she finally answered. She dropped her hand from Tori's chest and brought it up to her jaw so that she could tilt her chin up to look at her again. Tori's eyes were clouded with arousal and something else, something almost like despair. Jade cupped the side of her face and smiled a soft, sad smile. "Not at all."</p><p>Tori stared at her for a long while before her gaze drifted down to Jade's lips. Her eyes lifted again, questioning, and Jade decided that if she was going to have her heart broken again, she might as well make it worthwhile.</p><p>"Damn you," she whispered before leaning in to kiss her. She felt Tori's hand leave her shoulder to cup the back of her neck, fingers gently tugging at her hair as she pulled her closer.</p><p>And then she slipped fully inside of her again, foregoing her previous leisurely pace in exchange for the fast, deep thrusts that she knew Tori craved. A breathless gasp let her know that she was hitting all the right places and she swept her thumb over her clit in order to hear her whimper again.</p><p>"Jesus," Tori murmured against her lips before letting her head fall against Jade's shoulder. Jade felt her breath against her neck, hot and tickling. She increased her pace and ignored the aching in her wrist because Tori's chest was heaving against her own and her breath was coming in increasingly shorter pants and she knew that she was close.</p><p>Jade pressed a gentle kiss to her temple and curled her fingers inside of her, her fingertips easily finding the place that she knew would send Tori over the edge. "Let go, Tor," she whispered.</p><p>Another thrust, another circling over her clit, and Tori stiffened for a long moment before her heel dug into Jade's calf and her nails raked down Jade's back as an incoherent stream of curses mixed with Jade's name poured from her lips.</p><p>
  <em>This was a mistake, this was a mistake, this was this was</em>
</p><p><em>"Fuck</em>," Tori breathed, and Jade couldn't help but agree. She slowed the pace of her thrusts, holding Tori's trembling form in her arms. She waited for Tori to lift her head and unhook her ankle from behind her leg before she withdrew completely and let her go. She stepped back, hands already scrambling for the zipper of her gown so that she could cover herself again. Cover up the evidence of what they had done.</p><p>The stinging of her shoulder blades and the aching in her core taunted her with the truth, though, and a wave of regret and heartache made her stomach twist into knots.</p><p>"Jade?" she heard Tori say. She finished zipping herself up and glanced up at her.</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"I was serious." Tori's hands fumbled with the button of her pants as she spoke, but as soon as she managed to button them again, she looked up at Jade. "About what I said. I miss you."</p><p>Jade shook her head with a bitter laugh. "Bullshit."</p><p>"It's not." Tori shrugged her shoulders, adjusting her suit jacket. "I do. "</p><p>"And you decided that cornering me and having sex with me at an after-party right after I lost the Oscars was the best way to convey that?" Jade turned back to the mirror and began to try and fix her hair. Seemed easier than fixing her lipstick, at least. "I can think of a million better methods. Maybe, oh, I don't know...a text? A phone call?"</p><p>"You wouldn't have answered."</p><p>"Gee, wonder why."</p><p>
  <em>Stop making it worse, you fucking moron</em>
</p><p>Tori was silent for a moment and Jade glanced up in the mirror to find that she was staring at the floor; at the shattered remains of the bottle and the sticky puddle of champagne on the tiles. "I-"</p><p>A knock on the door cut her off.</p><p>"Excuse me? Is there someone in here?" a timid voice asked, and Jade recognized it as the waiter who she had taken the bottle from. "The door seems to be locked, and we have guests who require the use of these facilities."</p><p>"Fuck," Jade said, and Tori laughed.</p><p>"Just one second!" she called out. "Just finishing up!"</p><p>"Of course, miss," came the reply, and Jade stifled a snort.</p><p>"Surprised it took them this long," she mused. Tori shrugged.</p><p>"Probably didn't want to interrupt."</p><p>"Probably."</p><p>It was silent for a few moments after that. Jade took the opportunity to watch as Tori's reflection fiddled with her rings, methodically twisting them as she worried her bottom lip between her teeth.</p><p>"I know my words mean nothing to you," she said a moment later. "But I meant them anyway. And I didn't come here intending to...<em>ugh.</em>" She ran a hand through her hair absently. "Look, I just...I don't know."</p><p>Jade stared at her reflection a moment longer and tried to figure out what the fuck she was supposed to do when all her options more than likely would just leave her broken again.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck it</em>
</p><p>She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, counting to five before exhaling slowly. Then, she turned and walked towards the door. She could feel Tori's gaze on her as her fingers curled around the handle, her other hand twisting open the lock.</p><p>"The code to get into the building is the same as when you left," she said. "And I never bothered to have the locks changed."</p><p>She opened the door before Tori had the chance to answer, giving a quick nod of acknowledgment towards the waiter lurking a few feet away from the bathroom entrance. He blushed and waved meekly at her as she walked away.</p><p>She didn't bother to wait and see if Tori would follow.</p>
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